CGCSI

6 hours ago, Qalyar said:

SI #1 was generally (always?) produced and distributed with a subscription insert. I'm not familiar enough with CGC's magazine grading to know if it is required for that grade, although it wouldn't surprise me (and all other SI #1 9.8s whose images I could find in a 5 minute effort have the same insert notation).

With the addition of your book, there's still under 50 copies in that grade. It's a tough (and valuable) book in that condition, and you can be very happy with it... perhaps doubly so as your first submission!

CGC has said that the inclusion or omission of subscription or ad inserts do not effect the final grade, they are just noted on the label when present.  

9.8 grades for #1 are currently going for about $5,000.  Sports Illustrated found boxes of issue #1 in mint condition in a warehouse years ago and resold them to the public in a fancy leather binder with a COA for $200-$400.  That essentially flooded the market with copies in amazing condition for a 70 year old issue.  Despite this, they still command a nice number today.  

I’m all about the Sports Illustrated issues.  Here are some of my recent slabs 

On 9/19/2020 at 2:58 PM, KingOfRulers said:

I graded a bunch of Sports Illustrated magazines when CGC first started grading them. I sold almost all of them, keeping only the swimsuit editions. I'd should have kept some of the others though. Some of those 1960's painted covers were amazing. And some of the photography was iconic. Here's some of the swimsuit issues I still have.

Do you still have the 9.2 issue with the woman on the boat?  Sorry, can tell what the date is from the pic.  I'd consider purchasing it if it still have it, please let me know. 

agree with the 6.5 estimate on the grade.  Still a very rare issue if it's a true newsstand issue and not a subscription issue where the label has been removed.  One graded at 9.0 just sold for $7,200 last week!

On 1/21/2021 at 7:26 PM, kid-mint said:

Just got back my first submission ever, 9.8 on Sports illustrated first issue. In grader notes, it says, "Subscription insert."  Anyone know what this means, I'm not a comic or magazine guy.   Also, I see a set registry for comics, is there a magazine registry to find population reports, Thanks for any help.

Yes, when it says "subscription insert" right under the publisher and date, that means that there's a subscription card inside the magazine soliciting people to subscribe to the magazine.  Other times inserts would put between the pages as ads for various other products.  

What you don't want is for it to say "Subscription Edition" over on the left.  That means that the issues is a subscription issue and not a newsstand issue.  Newsstand issues have all the value in the market, subscription issues have very little value because too many were produced.    

On 1/5/2021 at 1:27 PM, valiantman said:

Interesting comparison.  The earliest Sports Illustrated covers for Michael Jordan are older than his basketball cards, significantly rarer than his basketball cards (especially slab counts), and somehow significantly cheaper than his early basketball cards.  There is definitely some "critical point" between earlier-and-rarer and later-but-popular which actually favors later-but-popular.  It would make sense that "earlier-and-rarer" deserves the higher value, but we're not seeing it consistently.  Star Wars #42 is definitely "later-but-popular" and winning at the moment, but part of that popularity is based on the incorrect labeling as "1st Boba Fett".  In a way, Star Wars #42 is benefitting from both the "earlier" side logic and the "later-but-popular" factor because it is continually being misrepresented as "1st".

You're correct.  Graded issues of Sports Illustrated are really starting to take off!

On 2/25/2021 at 8:55 AM, Hiram Melendez said:

Hello. I have the first issue of sports illustrated from 1954 and it comes with a mailer. Can cgc grade the mailer aside from the magazine?

 

Thank you 

I've never seen one of these before.  What is it?  It doesn't look like the first SI issue which looks like this pic below.  Also, what is that issue encapsulated in some way?  What's the covering around the magazine? 

On 3/19/2014 at 7:13 PM, Mr.Fantastic said:

I have several vintage Sports Illustrated's I would like to send to CGC. How does CGC treat/grade magazines with shipping labels ? Do they downgrade them for having a mailing label ? If the label is removed with no residue is this considered altered ?

 

 

Thanks !

If you look in the CGC census you'll see the first section is populated with newsstand issues and right below that are you subscription issues that have been graded.  I can tell you there is very little value in grading subscription issues because Sports Illustrated has said they produced 2.5 mil to 3 mil copies of each issue.  However, or 2%-3% of those were newsstand...so the collecting value is all in newsstand.  I hope this helps!

On 1/27/2021 at 11:27 PM, berniecf said:

Sorry if this is in the wrong spot, but did not see an area for SI.  I just joined tonight so I could try and submit some Sports Illustrated magazines for grading, but I don't quite get the online submission form.  It seems like the name of the magazine and the date are the only two fields that apply unless I am missing something.  Any help getting me started would be greatly appreciated!

I just filled out the submission form today, and I agree it can be confusing if it's your first time.  Be sure to select magazines on the first screen vs comics, trading cards, etc.  Then choose your services.  When you get to the field entry page, type in Sports Illustrated and it should auto populate.  You'll then need to select the publisher (Time Inc, also should auto populate).  Then you need to put the volume number in...that can be found in the census by looking for the same issue date.  If that issue hasn't beed graded before, you'll need to find the volume number yourself by opening the magazine and going to the table of contents.  Then you put in the date, country or origin and how much you value the raw issue.  

Please try this and let me know if you get stuck on anything or have any other questions. 

On 9/24/2020 at 7:24 PM, FoggyNelson said:

I think I have a few old swimsuit issues I will have to dig out😷

You should get them graded, it's a lot of fun and a growing subset of the collecting hobby.  But if you're looking to get a return on them, make sure they are newsstand issues and not subscription  

On 3/2/2021 at 10:07 PM, Tcox86 said:

Hello there! Im new to the magazine game! I can't seem to find a definitive answer on Yes, or No. Remove label? Or a great and proven technique? Also..When looking at cgc census reports.  Is it safe to assume that many graded as a Newstand, potentially may have been subscription? With sticker removed very well? Thanks!

My personal experience is that CGC will always be able to tell if the label has been removed.  I've sent in issues of Sports Illustrated to be graded that I had assumed were newsstand, that I had looked over extremely closely for signs of a label and came back labeled subscription.  Believe me, they know what to look for and their reputation is on the line with getting it right.  

On 9/19/2020 at 8:48 AM, FoggyNelson said:

Those are nice graded mags , how did keep that Jordan cover a 9.8?

Like anything else.  I bought it, never read it and put it away until recently when I had it graded.  

On 4/24/2020 at 12:21 PM, valiantman said:

CGC 10.0 - Kolynos Presents the White Guard 1 (1 copies at CGC 10.0)
CGC 9.9 - Shock SuspenStories 6 (2 copies at CGC 9.9)
CGC 9.8 - Sports Illustrated v1 #1 (42 copies at CGC 9.8)
CGC 9.6 - Sports Illustrated v1 #1 (84 copies at CGC 9.6)
CGC 9.4 - Sports Illustrated v1 #1 (54 copies at CGC 9.4)
CGC 9.2 - Mighty Midget Comics 11 (31 copies at CGC 9.2)
CGC 9.0 - Thing 16 (21 copies at CGC 9.0), Four Color 386 (21 copies at CGC 9.0)
CGC 8.5 - Ghost Rider 1 (19 copies at CGC 8.5)
CGC 8.0 - Shock SuspenStories 6 (23 copies at CGC 8.0)
CGC 8.0 - Four Color 147 (23 copies at CGC 8.0)
CGC 7.5 - Mad 1 (28 copies at CGC 7.5)
CGC 7.0 - Mad 1 (27 copies at CGC 7.0)
CGC 6.5 - Mad 1 (31 copies at CGC 6.5)
CGC 6.0 - Mad 1 (29 copies at CGC 6.0)
CGC 5.5 - Mad 1 (33 copies at CGC 5.5)
CGC 5.0 - Superman 100 (44 copies at CGC 5.0)
CGC 4.5 - Four Color 386 (31 copies at CGC 4.5)
CGC 4.0 - Mad 1 (44 copies at CGC 4.0)
CGC 3.5 - Four Color 386 (33 copies at CGC 3.5)
CGC 3.0 - Mad 1 (31 copies at CGC 3.0), Superman 100 (31 copies at CGC 3.0)
CGC 2.5 - Detective Comics 225 (17 copies at CGC 2.5), Batman 11 (17 copies at CGC 2.5)
CGC 2.0 - Detective Comics 225 (14 copies at CGC 2.0), Crime SuspenStories 22 (14 copies at CGC 2.0)
CGC 1.8 - Superman 4 (11 copies at CGC 1.8), Superman 100 (11 copies at CGC 1.8), Detective Comics 225 (11 copies at CGC 1.8)
CGC 1.5 - Batman 1 (11 copies at CGC 1.5)
CGC 1.0 - Superman 1 (11 copies at CGC 1.0)
CGC 0.5 - Batman 1 (18 copies at CGC 0.5)

Sports Illustrated issues are getting more and more popular.  You can look at the data, more issues are being submitted each month

On 4/20/2020 at 3:04 AM, N e r V said:

So if you have followed this thread you may have noticed my magazine collecting extends out of the usual genre material like horror or science fiction mags. The recent National Lampoon books I posted being an example. So a few years ago I picked up a copy of the first issue of Sports Illustrated (CGC 8.0) and having grown up with the swimsuit editions the thought of putting together a run of them from the 1960’s/1970’s was planted. So when this CGC 8.5 copy went up at auction a month ago I didn’t really think about bidding on it since the last 8.5 went for $1200.00 and this book generally gets $1000.00+ asking prices for CGC copies in this grade. But lately due to the current “crisis” we are in prices on collectibles seem to be missing their targets in my experience and so I figured I’d throw out a lower bid on this copy and hope I got lucky. So for just over $400.00 I picked this copy up at a bargain price. This is my first CGC swimsuit issue and since it’s the first swimsuit issue it will be the most expensive to get in the run so landing it first makes things so much easier.

So here it is my CGC 8.5 copy of the very first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Getting key books like this is so much fun in collecting....
 

 

The swimsuit issue was invented by Sports Illustrated editor Andre Laguerre to fill the winter months, a typically slow point in the sporting calendar.He asked fashion reporter Jule Campbell to go on a shoot to fill space, including the cover, with a beautiful model. The first issue, released in 1964, entailed a cover featuring Babette March and a five-page layout. Campbell soon became a powerful figure in modeling and molded the issue into a media phenomenon by featuring "bigger and healthier" California women and printing the names of the models with their photos, beginning a new supermodel era. In the 1950s, a few women appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but the 1964 issue is considered to be the beginning of the current format known as the Swimsuit Issue. 

Great score!  I love collecting graded issues of Sports Illustrated, this one is a total gem!

Here are a few of the mags I've had graded